Post-construction environmental monitoring

Companies may be required to file post-construction environmental monitoring reports with the CER after they have completed construction of a project. Details on what we require of companies for such reports are outlined in the Filing Manual and Electricity Filing Manual. Below are some highlights of what these reports are, when we review them, and what they can include.

These reports identify:

  • environmental issues caused by construction
  • issues that have been resolved
  • issues that remain unresolved and how the company plans to address them

When they are submitted: These reports are typically submitted after the first growing season following final clean-up. Additional reports are often required 3 and 5 years later since most environmental areas require more than 1 year to recover from construction. However, the length of time can vary. In some cases, we’ve required reports to be submitted for at least 10 years.
Factors that affect how many reports are to be submitted (years of monitoring) include:

  • how long an area takes to be revegetated
  • whether there are areas that need an in-depth, element-specific program (Caribou habitat, species that require a specific type of vegetation, or soils in agricultural areas)
  • construction methods used (low-disturbance construction methods may allow soils and vegetation to recover more quickly)

What is included in a report: What we expect to see in a report is outlined in the order or certificate we issue to the company for the project. Conditions may require a map of area, how the company plans to monitor the area, and criteria for evaluating success.
Types of information in a report may include:

  • the type of region (forest, crop lands)
  • environmental issues observed
  • how the company has addressed or will address these issues
  • what the company plans to do if an issue continues to exist
  • landowner concerns and how they’ve addressed them

Related documents

Compliance and enforcement

We check that companies are meeting our requirements, from when a company first applies to when a project ends. To help us understand the steps a company is taking and to gather information about how effective the actions of a company are, we verify compliance in a number of ways.

For example, the CER may:

  • ask for more information (an information request)
  • meet with the company directly (compliance meeting)
  • inspect the area (field inspection)

The CER then determines if other steps need to be taken. For companies that are not meeting requirements, we may take steps and to enforce them and bring the company back into compliance.

Learn more about how we verify compliance and enforce our requirements.

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